QUESTION #1:

Is there a charitable component to my estate plan? If I wanted to leave 20% of my estate in total to one or more charities, how would you recommend that we accomplish this?

QUESTION #2:

Will my estate have to pay any estate taxes when I die? If so, how much do you think that will be? Since my heirs will not be getting the benefit of those assets anyway, are there any ways for me to shift them from the government to my favorite charities?

QUESTION #3:

What about my tax-deferred retirement plans, such as IRA, 401(k) and 403(b) plans? Do you think there will be anything left in those plans when I’m gone? Since any balance I leave in those plans could be subject to BOTH income and estate tax, why don't we leave the residual in these plans to charity?

QUESTION #4:

Would it be beneficial for me to contribute some of my highly appreciated, low-income producing stocks to a life-income arrangement, such as charitable gift annuity or charitable remainder trust, so that I could receive a higher income and tax benefits during my lifetime and benefit my favorite charities later? What vehicle would you recommend?

QUESTION #5:

Do you, or someone in your office, have access to charitable gift planning software, such as PGCalc or Crescendo, so that we could calculate the outcomes and benefits of various charitable gift plans? Could you generate some illustrations for me?

QUESTION #6:

What is the current allocation of my stock and bond portfolio? As I get older, wouldn't it make sense to contribute some of my appreciated stock to a charitable life-income arrangement, thereby moving some of my portfolio from stocks to fixed income without incurring capital gains tax on the stock appreciation?

QUESTION #7:

How much paid up, whole life insurance do I have? Do I need that much coverage now? Will the life insurance in my estate push it into an estate taxable bracket? Would there be any advantage to donating some or all of my life insurance to charity now? If so, how would I do that?

QUESTION #8:

What about my real estate? I own some real estate that I am not using, has appreciated a lot in recent years, and doesn't generate any income for me. Why don't we give all of it, or an "undivided fractional interest", to charity? Or, would it make sense for me to donate the house I’m living in now, take a charitable deduction, and retain the right to live in it the rest of my life?

QUESTION #9:

My children are in my will, but they could use some of their inheritance now for making a down payment on a home, for buying a new car, or for their children's education. Could I transfer assets to them now, rather than later? (Answer: Yes! You can give them each $11,000 every year tax-free! In addition, you can transfer up to $1 million--$2 million for joint filers—to your heirs during your lifetime without incurring any tax yourself or tax liability for them.) If I did that, how much would I have left? Could we leave some of that to charity?

QUESTION #10:

Would you be willing to meet or talk with representatives from my charities to discuss my charitable options?